The first of the Homestead Acts began in 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law. These acts were federal laws of the United States that dealt out cheap or free land to people who applied it. Applicants for these land grants were required to be over 21 (or the head of a household), as well as being a resident of the U.S., and having never taken up arms against the government. The land these people were given was federal land in the West that was located in public land states. The theory behind the Act was if a person was able to settle the land given to them, and improve it within five years, then they would be able to keep it.
Homesteaders
Although getting the land was relatively easy, pioneers faced all-new challenges in the West. The climate, environment, and resources available all differed greatly from the East. The open plains, without many trees, created problems such as lack of certain foods and resources. There was less water available, too. Due to the lack of typical (for the East) resources, settlers had to adapt to the conditions at hand. For example, because there weren't many trees for lumber, they had to learn how to make houses from sod, or a mixture of grass and mud. Many hardships, like weather conditions and dangerous animals, made it very difficult for pioneers to settle the West. When these settlers would give up and move back to the East, ghost towns were created.
Effect on Westward Expansion
The Homestead Act helped to develop the United States through its granting of land for agriculture and expansion. Over population was beginning to occur in the East, because it was already colonized and improved upon. The land grants called for in the Homestead Act were meant to entice people to move to the West and settle the recently vacant land. The land grants did not only benefit the settlers, but in fact helped the government also. The land was taken from the Native Americans who had been living there, and then given to the pioneers in the form of grants. The pioneers were not sold the land for much, however the government made money off the taxes the people had to pay on the land. So the U.S. government were successful in two ways; they had pioneers willingly moving West and pushing the frontier, and they were making a profit as the pioneers did so. Some of the people that did leave the eastern states to settle the West were successful in the new lands. Only about 40% of people who were given land grants were eventually able to obtain the title to their homestead land.
Background
The first of the Homestead Acts began in 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law. These acts were federal laws of the United States that dealt out cheap or free land to people who applied it. Applicants for these land grants were required to be over 21 (or the head of a household), as well as being a resident of the U.S., and having never taken up arms against the government. The land these people were given was federal land in the West that was located in public land states. The theory behind the Act was if a person was able to settle the land given to them, and improve it within five years, then they would be able to keep it.
Homesteaders
Although getting the land was relatively easy, pioneers faced all-new challenges in the West. The climate, environment, and resources available all differed greatly from the East. The open plains, without many trees, created problems such as lack of certain foods and resources. There was less water available, too. Due to the lack of typical (for the East) resources, settlers had to adapt to the conditions at hand. For example, because there weren't many trees for lumber, they had to learn how to make houses from sod, or a mixture of grass and mud. Many hardships, like weather conditions and dangerous animals, made it very difficult for pioneers to settle the West. When these settlers would give up and move back to the East, ghost towns were created.Effect on Westward Expansion
The Homestead Act helped to develop the United States through its granting of land for agriculture and expansion. Over population was beginning to occur in the East, because it was already colonized and improved upon. The land grants called for in the Homestead Act were meant to entice people to move to the West and settle the recently vacant land. The land grants did not only benefit the settlers, but in fact helped the government also. The land was taken from the Native Americans who had been living there, and then given to the pioneers in the form of grants. The pioneers were not sold the land for much, however the government made money off the taxes the people had to pay on the land. So the U.S. government were successful in two ways; they had pioneers willingly moving West and pushing the frontier, and they were making a profit as the pioneers did so. Some of the people that did leave the eastern states to settle the West were successful in the new lands. Only about 40% of people who were given land grants were eventually able to obtain the title to their homestead land.